5

"This isn't the real Moonstone!""Nonsense!" Elder Thorne frowned, but I could see he had doubts too.

My trembling fingers touched the stone again. Still dead, no life to it at all.

"Father's Moonstone has warmth, an energy pulse," I insisted. "This is just a plain rock."

At the doorway, Cassidy suddenly dropped to her knees, sobbing.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Her tears fell like broken pearls. "It's my fault!"

"I just wanted to pray for Rachel's blessing," she stammered. "Last night, I snuck in, wanting to burn some blessing herbs on the Moonstone… and then… then I accidentally knocked over the altar. The Moonstone shattered!"

"The Moonstone cannot be shattered," old Elder Iris stated flatly.

"But it did! It broke!" Cassidy cried even harder. "I was scared of being punished, so I… I replaced it with a normal stone, planning to confess when Rachel got back."

Rhys immediately rushed forward to help Cassidy up. "Look what you've done!"

I almost laughed. "What I've done?"

"An Alpha's Moonstone is incredibly hard. How could it break so easily?" Rhys's eyes were like daggers. "I think you planned all along to fob us off with a fake for the trial. The real one is probably hidden away, ready to be gifted to Harris!"

Pain and fury washed over me. I stood up, staggering towards Rhys.

"How dare you… accuse me like that?"

"Isn't it true?" Finn sneered from the side. "You've already betrayed the pack."

"Me, betray them?" I laughed, a harsh, angry sound. "I risked my life to pass your trial, while you two were plotting to murder me!"

"What do you mean?" Elder Thorne asked gravely.

"The Venom-Mist Spiders," I said, looking around. "They don't belong in our forest. Someone lured them into the cave, the day before my trial."

Cassidy's eyes flickered, but she quickly composed herself. "Rachel, the poison has affected you. You're talking nonsense."

"I heard them," I said, the words pained. "Finn and Cassidy, waiting at the cave entrance for my body."

"Ridiculous!" Finn snapped. "Elders, she's clearly brain-damaged from the toxins."

Cassidy stood up, her eyes glinting with a coldness. "Perhaps Rachel is trying to cover up her own crime. She deliberately lost the Moonstone to prevent it from falling into our hands, so she could offer it to her future Alpha."

My eyes widened, "You—"

Elara suddenly burst in. "The Moonstone has a tracking spell! The Elders can sense its presence!"

Right, how could no one have thought of that? Every Alpha put a tracking spell on their Moonstone in case it was lost.

"The tracking spell," I clung to this lifeline. "Elders, please, sense the Moonstone's location."

The Elders hesitated. If they really used the tracking spell, the lies would have nowhere to hide.

Seeing my determined gaze, Elder Thorne finally nodded.

After a long wait…

"No response," Thorne finally opened his eyes, his voice low. "The Moonstone… it really isn't here."

"Try widening the range," I urged.

The Elders tried again, this time expanding their senses to the entire pack territory.

"There's a faint sense…" Elder Iris said suddenly. "But it's very faint, like something's blocking it."

"Which direction?" I pressed.

"North. Deep in the forest."

The direction of Cassidy's den!

"Search it!" I said firmly.

Rhys stepped in front of me. "You have no authority to give orders."

"If the Moonstone really is there," Finn sneered, "I bet you hid it yourself. After all, you were the only one in the forest last night."

"I was fighting for my life in that cave last night!" I roared, feeling my wounds tear, warm blood seeping out.

"Enough!" Elder Thorne's sharp voice cut through the noise. "This isn't over. We will continue to investigate. But right now, Rachel needs treatment."

Rhys reluctantly moved aside, but he leaned close to my ear and whispered, "You'd better accept reality. In three days, you're leaving. Take your lies and your guilt, and get out of the Silver Moon Pack forever."

I felt a wave of dizziness.

"Seeing as you're about to leave," he announced loudly, "we'll let this go. Harris's party will be here in three days to collect you. Try not to bring shame on the Silver Moon Pack."

The Elders ordered someone to take me back to my den for treatment. Elara followed close behind.

"I believe you," she said softly. "We'll find the truth."

But who else would believe me? The whole pack thought I'd stolen the Moonstone, maybe even broken it, just to stop it from falling into other hands.

That night, I walked to the edge of the territory, to a quiet clearing. My father's grave.

"Dad," I knelt before the grave, tears streaming down my face. "What am I going to do?"

I took out the fake Moonstone and the tattered Silver Fern, carefully burying them in front of the headstone.

"I will get the real Moonstone back," I whispered, making a promise. "I will clear your daughter's name."

Suddenly, a slight noise came from the bushes. I froze, every muscle tensing.

"Who's there?" I hissed, feeling the energy to shift welling up inside me, ready to turn wolf.

A pair of eyes lit up in the darkness, like two burning rubies.

Shadow-fang wolves!

"You're early?" I said, trying to sound calm.

"Just scouting, future Luna," a deep male voice came from the shadows. "Alpha Harris sent me to ensure your safety."

"Ensure my safety?" I scoffed. "Too late for that."

"We know what happened," he said calmly. "The Venom-Mist Spiders in the cave. The stolen Moonstone."

I stared at him, shocked. "You've been watching me?"